From: gracethrufaith.com
Seven Major Prophetic Signs of the Second Coming
Ikvot ha'MashiachA Bible Study by Jack Kelley
There are seven major prophetic signs of the Second Coming, and for the first time in history all seven are in some stage of fulfillment. I'll list the seven with their primary biblical references and offer commentary from current events.
-Our Annual Year-End Update 12-31-04
1. Israel Will Be In the Land... Ezekiel 38:8
"After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety."
Since 1948, this has been the most obvious sign. In spite of numerous wars fought against overwhelming odds, and the treachery of friend and foe alike, Israel is in the land as prophesied in Ezek. 38:8, Isaiah 11:11, Amos 9:14-15 and others. Remember, however, that the very existence of Israel is a violation of provisions in the Koran and despite their lip service agreements to join the US in the war against terrorism, powerful forces in the Arab World actively support terrorist efforts to destroy Israel.
For example, the new leader of the ruling Fatah movement said the Palestinians want to replace Israel with a state of their own. Fatah chief Farouk Khaddoumi said the Palestinian strategy toward Israel is two-fold. In the first stage, he said, they would accept a Palestinian state alongside Israel. In the second stage, they would seek to eliminate the Jewish state altogether. In November, Khaddoumi replaced the late Yasser Arafat as leader of Fatah. He also regards himself as Palestinian foreign minister. Like many of his ilk, Khaddoumi sees the "road map" to peace as one more step toward the elimination of Israel.
And in his campaign speeches, Palestinian presidential candidate Mahmoud Abbas has called for Israel's withdrawal to pre 1967 boundaries and their evacuation from Jerusalem. Don't expect the death of Yasser Arafat to trigger an outbreak of peaceful coexistence.
The more radical Palestinian groups continue to reject all efforts to affect a cease-fire even during the January Palestinian elections. Their declared aim is the "total destruction of the state of Israel." Meanwhile the secret talks in Cairo, sponsored by Egypt and aimed at accomplishing a more permanent cease fire continue, with President Bush now on record as saying he will bring about Middle East peace while in office. As we know, any peace deal involving Israel will only set the stage for Ezekiel's prophesied attack by the Russian led Moslem coalition. More on that below.
On a different note, in spite of sanctions and escalating threats of military action, it now seems clear that the so-called Iraqi resistance effort is led by Baathist elements headquartered in Syria, partially manned by fighters trained in Syria by the Syrian military, and funded with money deposited by Saddam Hussein in Syrian banks. (These are the funds from which the Hezbollah compensates families of Palestinian suicide bombers.) In addition to holding Saddam's billions, Syria also hides his WMD. US officials have located the isolated Syrian dessert under which the weapons are buried, and have demanded a map showing precise positions to prevent months of random digging in the sand.
I mention these things here because Syria has been actively seeking to re-open peace talks with Israel, even removing all their traditional pre-conditions concerning the Golan Heights. But this is just a ploy, to divert attention from the fact that Syria is one of two major opponents to US victory in Iraq. Syria is not mentioned as part of the Moslem coalition that attacks Israel (perhaps because of a soon coming confrontation with Israel that results in the total destruction of Damascus) but we shouldn't be fooled by requests for peace from that quarter. Syria wants Israeli lands and the disappearance of the nation as fervently as ever.
But the God of Israel sees a different outcome. "I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them," says the LORD your God. (Amos 9:14-15)
2. Jerusalem will be in Jewish Hands... Luke 21:24
They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled."
This is always one of the most controversial signs. But will Jerusalem, a) remain a 100% Jewish city as Israel demands, b) become the Palestinian capitol as the PLO demands, or c) be "internationalized" as the Vatican has proposed, in effect becoming a Moslem city on Friday, Jewish on Saturday, and Christian on Sunday?
Almost every self-appointed peace broker has a different opinion, but all wind up suggesting that Jerusalem again be divided. As stated above, it's an election promise of primary importance to the Palestinians. And in a unique intrusion into the internal security affairs of a sovereign nation, world opinion has forced Israel to relocate major sections of the security fence surrounding Jerusalem. Even Israel's high court agreed, admittedly placing Palestinian human rights concerns above the security needs of the city's Jewish residents.
The Lord prophesied that the reunification of Jerusalem as a Jewish City would be a sign that foreign (gentile) influence over His land was about to end. (Luke 21:24) When this happened in 1967 after nearly 2000 years, prophecy experts saw it as a major sign fulfilled. The almost world wide effort to take the city apart again is in essence a battle of wills; the Will of God vs. the will of man. Any wagers on the outcome?
Some incorrect thoughts you'll hear even in Christian circles:
1) "Jerusalem isn't really in Jewish hands yet because the Temple mount is Arab and that's the part that counts." Wrong. While administrative control of the Temple Mount was given to the Moslem Leadership (improperly) by Moishe Dayan in 1967, the real estate belongs to Israel.
2) It says in Zechariah 14 that 1/2 of the city is taken, so it can't be in Jewish hands till the Lord comes back. Wrong. All the city has to be in Jewish hands in order for 1/2 of it to be taken in the last battle which occurs just before the Lord's return.
3. A Moslem Coalition Armed and Led by Russia will attack the Holy Land... Ezk 38:2-6
""Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him. This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army--your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia, Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops--the many nations with you."
For an in depth explanation of the modern equivalent to these biblical names, click here.
Over 130 historical references lead us to conclude that Magog stands for modern Russia. After decades of experimenting with Western democracy, Russia seems to be reverting to its former ways. Just recently international human rights observers down-graded Russia's status among nations from "partially free" to "not free." A Former KGB head, President Vladimir Putin has consistently tightened the reins, bringing most diplomatic, political and military activity under his own control, while accusing the West of abandoning and isolating Russia. He calls his reform program "managed democracy" but to many it looks suspiciously like a return of the old Soviet Union.
At the same time, Russia is determined to complete Iran's $800 million Bushehr reactor, needing only to ship and install the fuel rods to "go critical," an event currently scheduled for the spring of 2005. Though Israel has sworn to prevent it, for Russia and Iran Bushehr is the first of 10 reactors Russia has agreed to build in a $50 billion deal. One has to wonder why two of the world's largest suppliers of oil are so insistent on making nuclear power Iran's primary energy source. Ezekiel's prophecy seems to indicate that Russia supplies the armament for the sneak attack, so maybe that's what the reactors are really for.
In the discussion of the first sign we named Syria, a country not involved in this coalition, as one of two major impediments to peace in Iraq. Now let's look at the other one. Iran (Persia) is every bit as active in its opposition to US goals in Iraq and is also a leader of the Moslem coalition, right behind Russia. No country in the world is more vocal in its opposition to Israel's existence, and they put their money where their mouth is. Iran is the Hezbollah's major sponsor and its Revolutionary Guards own and operate the literal forest of missiles aimed at Israel from Syria and Lebanon. Iran is determined to go nuclear in early 2005 in spite of US and Israeli threats to prevent it. Iranian long-range missiles can now reach every European capital and every city in Israel and are being modified to accept soon coming nuclear warheads.
Lately, Iran's leaders have been issuing warnings to Israel and the US not to interfere in their plans, even threatening pre-emptive strikes. In the US, the FBI just recently rounded up a ring of Iranian and Pakistanian spies observing and photographing Israeli consulate offices. The same thing has happened in South America and Western Europe. The captured spies admitted plotting terrorist attacks against the Jewish facilities, similar to the ones they helped carry out in Buenos Aries in 1993 where over a hundred were killed. Remember, Iran is the number one exporter of state sponsored terrorism in the world today.
Neutralizing Syria and achieving peace with the Palestinians could lull Israel into a false sense of security leaving Iran free to attack, especially if it's in retaliation for Israel's widely anticipated strike against their nearly completed reactor.
The so-called Southern Republics of Central Asia also present an interesting problem. Their populations are heavily Moslem and are still being stirred up by al Qaeda operatives. In treaties with Iran former Russian President Boris Yeltsen committed Russia to participate on the side of these 5 republics in any conflict involving them. In August 2004 a group of Iranian military and Intelligence officers visited one of them, Azerbaijan, to remind them whose side they're on, warning the government that continued friendly relations with Iran required booting Israel's Mossad out of the country. Iran's afraid that the Israeli intelligence organization is trying to get close enough to the Bushehr reactor site to figure out how to destroy it. The Iranian delegation was there to put a stop to Israeli spying. Some observers see these 5 break away republics of the former Soviet Union as the "hooks in the jaw" that Ezekiel prophesied God will use to turn Magog around and lead him into b! attle against Israel. (38:4)
Many read the Ezekiel passage promising to rain down fire from heaven on Magog (39:6) and on those who dwell in the "distant coastlands" (the US?) as a nuclear exchange. And the clean up after the battle is remarkably similar to current procedures for reclaiming land after a nuclear exchange (39:12-15). President Bush has said that no weapon in our arsenal will be excluded in our effort to defeat our enemies, and we know that the other side feels the same way. With Iran racing to bring its nuclear weapons program on line in 2005, and Israel already armed and ready, it's easy to see the hint of unconventional warfare in Ezekiel's prophecy. (A recent spate of UFO sightings over Bushehr has Iranian and Russian officials in a panic. Iranian jet fighters are now on constant patrol with orders to shoot down anything they see. Will there be a supernatural element to this battle as well?)
But Turkey is still the most interesting country to watch in the Middle East (Beth Togarmah). Turkey has 13 military and commercial treaties linking it to Israel and has been a loyal member of NATO. At the end of 2004 the EU authorized the beginning of talks that could result in Turkey eventually being admitted to membership.
Recent terrorist attacks there are an attempt to de-stabilize the country and throw off the secular pro-western government in favor of radical Islam. (Note that the Ezekiel prophecy calls for Turkey to be in league with Iran opposing Israel so when you see them switch teams watch out).
In surprise moves that may be signaling the beginning of Turkey's shift of allegiance, Prime Minister Erdogan signed a free trade agreement with Syrian President Assad in 2004, and there's been serious talk of military cooperation as well. Both countries have restless Kurdish minorities and are unhappy with the way the US is working with the Kurds in Iraq. They fear the Kurds will leverage their position with the US to seek their independence taking valuable land and resources with them.
On top of that, Turkey promised Iran that it will deny its airspace to Israel in the event of an Israeli air strike on Iran's nuclear power plant, and has called Israel's treatment of the Palestinians "state sponsored terrorism." When PM Erdogan decided he had sufficiently defined his pro-Arab leanings and it was time to smooth things over with Israel, Iran's foreign minister flew to Ankara to remind him of their agreement and prep him for his visit to Jerusalem. Turkey still seems to be the key to the prophecy in Ezekiel 38 and is rightly called the "most important country in the world" from a strategic perspective.
4. The World will Embrace a Single Religion... Rev 13:8
All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
The one world religion idea has been around for most of our generation, often under the guise of ecumenism. As the liberal denominations continue watering down their theology there are fewer things keeping them apart. The flirtation between certain Evangelical groups and the Catholic Church is also interesting, as is the dialog between the Pope and Leaders of Islam.
But make no mistake about it. The rise of radical Islam is the chief threat to world peace today and their goal is nothing less than world domination. Their god is not the God of the Bible, and their fight with Jews and Christians actually began in the 7th Century AD when the Jews rejected Mohammed's offer of consolidation. Prior to that time he had counseled his followers to respect and befriend the Jewish people, but when they refused to join his religion, he declared jihad (holy war) against them. Christians were included 400 years later as a result of the Crusades. Currently nearly one out of five inhabitants of the world is Moslem, and like most Christians and Jews don't really know what they believe or why. Ignorance and misinformation are primary tools of the devil so I would urge all thinking people to really study the origin and goals of Islam. It will soon be the world's most popular religion, and after the removal of Evangelical Christians in the Rapture could ea! sily be the foundation on which the one world religion is built.
In 2 Thes. 2:7 Paul wrote that the secret power of lawlessness was already at work in the world but that the One who holds it back would continue to do so until He is taken out of the way (out of the midst). Understand that Paul wasn't referring to man's disregard for the law here, but rather to his refusal to accept the truth. In New Testament Greek the word for unbelief is also translated disobedience. God's view is that there's just too much clear evidence of His existence for anyone not to believe in Him. Therefore so-called unbelievers are really disobeying by refusing to believe.
In 1 Tim 4:1 Paul warned us of the doctrines of demons and in 2 Tim 4:3-4 of the growing popularity of mythology as being part and parcel of this end times religion. This is the lawlessness Paul was writing about. Having rejected the truth, those left after the Rapture will be ripe for the Great Lie of 2 Thes 2:9 to fill the need every man has, to believe in something greater than himself. All it will take is for a charismatic religious leader to emerge, a leader powerful enough to bring all those who are left behind into one counterfeit religion.
5. The World Will Accept a Single Government... Rev 13:3
The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.
A one world government will also need a leader to crystallize things, along with a decline in US strength. The one thing uniting the world right now is its common hatred of unchallenged US power. Thanks to the War against Terrorism, 8 years of official effort to dismantle US military and intelligence assets are being reversed, and contrary to liberal media's reporting, we are making progress in putting both Afghanistan and Iraq on the road to more democratic forms of government.
The emergence of Evangelical Christianity as a political power in the recent US presidential election presents a major impediment to the world's acceptance of a single government. America's heritage as an independent Christian nation is simply too deeply ingrained in our national psyche. Unless something happens to fracture us again, I believe that Evangelicals will become an increasingly powerful voting block as viewpoints become more polarized over conflicting values. I also believe that the voting power of Evangelicals will, more than any other factor, keep America strong and independent.
The logical conclusion is that the Rapture of the Church has to precede the demise of America. Only the elimination of Evangelicals from the electorate will permit the rest of the country to sink into the cesspool of amoral liberal politics, and create the conditions necessary for America to subordinate its sovereignty to any international body.
6. Babylon will re-emerge as a prominent city in world affairs... Rev 18:2-3
With a mighty voice he shouted: "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries."
Babylon is still quietly re-emerging to accept its destiny as a city of power in the end times. It's just a ceremonial city right now, but 15 years ago nobody even knew it existed at all. One of the shocks of Gulf War 1 was to discover the City of Babylon standing there on the banks of the Euphrates again. With US troops now on the shores of the Euphrates as well it would seem that any claim Babylon would have as a center of world power is ludicrous, but the world's focus is currently on Bagdhad. Have you seen even one news report on or from Babylon? Keep watch as the US turns the reins of government back to the Iraqi people and their new era begins. One day soon reports from Iraq will originate from Babylon. It's only a matter of time.
If Osama bin Laden has his way, the Saud family will soon be deposed in Saudi Arabia and with the growing popular unrest in Iran, look for changes there as well. US officials have been plainly hinting that a regime change in Iran may be ultimately necessary to achieve peace in the region. (In a recent Israeli talk radio show beamed into Iran, an Iranian caller asked Defense Minister Mofaz when Israel was going to pay the debt owed to his people since 535 BC, when Persian King Cyrus defeated Israel's Babylonian captors and set them free? It was high time, the caller said, for Israel to liberate the Iranian (Persian) people from their Moslem captors and repay the favor.)
The governments of Jordan, Yemen, Egypt and others are dangerously weak, Saddam is gone and Syria is certain to suffer defeat in the coming confrontations. The only sure thing is that the Moslem world is in a much more perilous state of unrest than anyone imagines. They're united only by their common hatred of the US. A leader able to gain wide support among the followers of Mohammed could quickly become the most powerful man in the world, and Babylon would be a logical headquarters.
7. The ancient roman Empire will re-emerge as a political force... Rev 17:9-10
"This calls for a mind with wisdom. The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. They are also seven kings. Five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; but when he does come, he must remain for a little while."
(This one is a little obscure if you don't know your history. When John was writing this, about 95AD, there had been five great world powers; Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, and Greece. All were conquered and absorbed. The current power was Rome, which was never really conquered and will re-emerge at the end of the age according to Daniel 9:26.)
There's a similar passage in Daniel 2:36-45 that describes Gentile Dominion from Daniel's time forward (Egypt and Assyria had already fallen) in the form of a giant statue. Read it carefully and you'll find some interesting things in the description of the feet of iron mixed with clay representing the revived Roman Empire of our time.
In the first place the two don't mix. We can imagine sticky clay serving as glue sticking pieces of iron together, but the language describes a clay that's made of dust and already baked... hard and brittle like shards of pottery. You can't make random pieces of iron and pottery adhere. They'll keep falling apart.
Look for the new Roman Empire to continue going through times of coming together and falling apart as well. For example, read the international press and you'll see the countries of the EU dancing around the terrorist issue, hedging their bets. They can see the handwriting on the wall, and remember how close they all came to becoming Moslem in the 8th Century. The advance of Islam was finally stopped by Charles Martel outside of Tours in central France in a battle that's described as one of the great events in the history of the world since upon its outcome depended whether Christian civilization would continue or Islam prevail through out Europe.
There is still a great deal of support for the Moslem cause in Europe. And don't forget, the Roman Empire had an Eastern division whose capital was Constantinople (Istanbul) as well as the Western division headquartered in Rome. Together they represent the 2 legs of Nebuchadnezzar's statue (Daniel 2:33).
Some see in the rise of militant Islam a revival of the Eastern Division and caution us not to overlook this in our search for the Revived Roman Empire and the identity of the antichrist. While the Empire was not divided until well into the 4th Century AD and the seven hills on which the woman of Rev. 17 sits almost certainly symbolizes Rome (which would seem to indicate the Western division is in focus) the possibility of the antichrist coming out of the East is something that shouldn't be discarded out of hand.
(What's more intriguing to me is the fact that the Moslem coalition named in Ezekiel 38 above is made up entirely of countries from the Eastern Division. Perhaps the Moslem coalition is the Eastern Division's revival while the EU is the Western Division's and together they fulfill the prophecies from Daniel and Revelation.)
Other Signs
There are of course other signs as well:
THE INCREASE OF NATURAL DISASTERS... More frequent and more severe hurricanes, more frequent and more intense earthquakes. (Note: Upwards of 40,000 dead in Iran from a quake on 12-26-03 and over 125,000 dead from the tsunami in Indonesia on 12-26-04. These two events were within 55 minutes of striking at precisely the same time, one year apart. Coincidence?) “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea."(Luke 21:25)
EPIDEMIC ILLNESS... Not only new ones like HIV and SARS but also the return of old ones. In Israel, England and the US smallpox vaccinations for the general population are being undertaken, and experts predict that it's only a matter of time until a strain of the flu virus becomes a world wide epidemic with millions at risk. Whooping cough is also making a comeback in some areas.
WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS... Depending upon whose intelligence reports you read somewhere between 30 and 50 wars are currently being fought around the world, with a substantial number of additional disputes threatening to erupt into war at any time.
THE DECLINE OF LOVE AND RESPECT FOR LIFE AS AN INTUITIVE RESPONSE TO OTHERS... Runaway crime, children being abused and murdered by their parents, children killing children. Murder trials as public entertainment soon to be followed by televised executions. Ethnic cleansing, rape and forced pregnancy even by so-called friends. (There were over 150 incidents of rape involving UN peacekeepers in the Sudan in late 2004. In South Africa government licensed witch doctors routinely prescribe sex with a virgin girl as a cure for AIDS. Men are now down to attacking 8-10 year old girls for fear any one older will already have been infected.)
The above are given as signs in the Olivet Discourse (Matt 24-25) so we'll bring you periodic information on them as well.
As you know most of these signs are progressive and all are described as happening well before the end. Their interest to us is found in the phrase "beginning of birth pangs." Natural disasters, the tendency toward war as a tool of diplomacy, famine amidst plenty (35,000 children die each day of starvation and related diseases) and pestilence are common to the era but will increase in frequency and intensity as the end approaches. This has certainly been the case lately and is another indication of the nearness of the end. Stay tuned.